Latest News

Statement on Proposal to Divide Freetown

The recent proposal to divide Freetown into two separate cities is misguided, both economically and politically. At a time when Sierra Leone faces significant fiscal pressures and social challenges, this plan will only deepen division, increase costs, and distract from the real solutions our people need.

1. Freetown’s population realities are being distorted.

The government’s proposal relies on disputed census figures that dramatically understate Freetown’s true size. Independent UN estimates put the capital’s population at well over 1.3 million residents today, yet the 2021 mid-term census reported barely 609,000 a number inconsistent with voter rolls, school registers, and everyday reality. It is dangerous and irresponsible to use contested data as the foundation for redrawing our capital.

2. Sierra Leone cannot afford duplication.

Our nation is under an IMF stabilization program that demands fiscal discipline. Splitting Freetown into two means two mayors, two councils, two bureaucracies, and duplicated costs; while our local governments are already struggling to receive basic budget transfers. Instead of creating new overhead, those scarce resources should be directed to service delivery and investment.

3. Services will be fragmented, not strengthened.

The challenges facing our capital solid waste management, flooding and drainage, transport, disaster preparedness, are citywide problems that require unified planning. Dividing responsibility between two administrations will lead to coordination failures, higher costs, and weaker results.

4. Public legitimacy is lacking.

Residents and leadership have already voiced strong opposition to this plan. Ignoring their voices risks further eroding trust at a time when unity and stability are essential. True decentralization strengthens communities, but forced division weakens them.

5. The real priority: decentralize power, not people.

What Sierra Leone needs is not the carving up of Freetown, but genuine decentralization that empowers under-resourced towns and districts across the country. Strengthening ward-level governance, ensuring timely transfers, and supporting local revenue systems will achieve more than splitting our capital city.

My Position

I oppose this proposal. It is the wrong path for Freetown and for Sierra Leone. We must focus on unity, decentralization, and economic development, not on artificial divisions that increase costs and sow confusion.

Decentralize power, not our people. Strengthen Sierra Leone by investing in all cities, not dividing the one we have.